ohio state university extension the development of living ...€¦ · fax: 513-887-3726 website:...

The Development of Living Skills

Program Annual Report February 2015 – January 2016

Our History....................... Page 2

Program Activities........... Page 3

Program Outcomes......... Page 4

Partnerships.................... Page 7

Success Stories.............. Page 8

Summary…….................. Page 9

Faculty & Staff................. 0

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Development of Living Skills

Ohio State University Extension, Butler County

1802 Princeton Road, Suite 400

Hamilton, OH 45011

Phone: 513-785-6655

Fax: 513-887-3726

Website: u.osu.edu/dlsprogram

Our History

The Development of Living Skills Program (DLS) began in

1985 with a grant from the Butler County Children

Service’s Levy. The program is a comprehensive in-home

educational intervention system designed for families at

risk for child abuse and/or neglect. The DLS central

hypothesis is that when a family is not operating at its

optimal level as a result of the lack of basic skill

development, the stress produced by this disharmony can

contribute to child abuse and neglect through

displacement.

The DLS program is conducted through The Ohio State

University Extension-Butler County. The Butler County

office is the off-campus arm of the main campus in

Columbus. DLS believes that people can change through

education if taught in a way they can understand and

apply to their individual lives.

of 10 The Development of Living Skills Annual Report

Families who enter

the DLS program

are referred by their

caseworker at

Butler County

Children Services.

DLS is a part of the

case plan for most

families. Some are

court-ordered while

others volunteer for

services.

In 2015, the total

number of clients

receiving services

was similar to 2014.

Through January

2016, DLS worked

with 145 parents

of 222 children.

Twenty-four more

referrals were

received before the

end of the fiscal

year and placed on

a waiting list to

begin services.

Instructors provided

more than one

thousand hours of

teaching time to

parents.

Communicate Frequent, open

communication with

caseworkers and clients is

critical to the success of the

program. Instructors keep

in touch with clients through

mail, telephone calls and

text messages. Monthly

reports provide in-depth

summaries of parents’

progress to BCCS

caseworkers. In addition,

DLS instructors continue to

make phone calls and

provide electronic updates

to caseworkers and written

court reports to the Juvenile

Court when requested. DLS

Instructors are subpoenaed

to testify in some cases.

DLS had more than 3,000

telephone contacts and 825

emails in 2015.

What We Teach

All lesson material is research-based and encourages best practices. There are three

curriculum pathways available for DLS clients:

The Introductory Core Curriculum is designed for the parent who requires knowledge

and resources to care for their own needs. If successful, the parent can move forward into

the Core Curriculum which addresses knowledge, resources and safe practices for caring

for children.

The Core Curriculum includes the Initial Visit, the Family Record/Family Assessment, the

comprehensive Final Assessment as well as a basic lesson in Parenting and Child

Development, Home Sanitation, Home Safety, Food and Nutrition, Money Management,

Development of Personal Resources, Conflict Management and Treatment and Prevention

of Bed Bugs.

If more intensive instruction in one or more areas is needed, an individualized

comprehensive, Extended Core Curriculum, is designed for their family.


Program Activities - What We Do

Assess Parent Needs, Skills and Learning DLS determines how each family functions in nine

areas including: Food and Nutrition; Home Sanitation;

Home Safety; Money Management; Health and

Hygiene; Developing Personal Resources; and Family

Strengths. DLS instructors also observe the parent’s

visits with their children to evaluate the interaction and

complete a parenting assessment whenever parent/child

interaction occurs. These assessments allow the

instructor to show progress in very specific terms and

gives immediate feedback to the client and the

caseworker.

Educate Parents One-hour educational lessons are scheduled once a week

in the client’s home. DLS is very flexible and attempts to

meet the needs of the individual client, especially those

working outside the home. The DLS instructor, BCCS

caseworker and parent work together to determine what

information is needed and desired. Since each DLS family

is different in their development, it is important to let the

client set the pace for the learning to grow. Some lessons

may be repeated.


2015 Program Outcomes

The following table is a comprehensive list of recipient and program information:

Total number of recipients received from 1/2015 through 1/2016: 187

Recipients carried over from previous contract: 48

New Recipients working with DLS in 2015: 97

Unable to complete initial before 1/31/2016: 24

Recipients returned to Butler County Children Services: 18

Type of Referral

Court Ordered 116

Volunteer 48

Not Specified on Referral 5

Gender

Male 55

Female 114

Race

White 127

African American 13

Hispanic or Latino 2

Two or More Races 3

Total Number of Children 222

Total Number of Exits Completed

Introductory Core 11

Core 39

Extended Core 18

Termination 35

Twenty-one children were reunited with their parents from foster

care, and seven at-risk children were able to remain in their homes.



DLS and the BCCS caseworker evaluate the family upon entering the program and

again at closing. This gives a good picture of the family’s ability to maintain the

change that has occurred during services, their willingness to cooperate and their

family strengths and needs. Reports show that those who completed the

program showed improvement in all areas. The largest gains were made by

parents in the areas of positive Parent-Child Communication, using Appropriate

Discipline, and proper Sanitation of the home. Parents completed the program in

an average of five months.

“The Family has increased

their knowledge in all

identified areas of concern”

-BCCS Caseworker

00.51

1.52

2.53

3.54

4.5

Pre

Post

2015 Exits – Averages Average DLS Service: 5.09 Months



The graph to the left shows the pre and

post scores for clients who completed

the Core or Extended Core lessons.

Those receiving Extended Core

lessons generally took longer to

complete the program.

This graph shows clients who left the

program before completing all of their

goals. Because these terminated

clients received fewer lessons and

services, DLS was unable to measure

any positive change. High pre-scores

may indicate clients’ perceived skill

levels rather than their actual level of

functioning.

When closing services with a family,

caseworkers are asked: What was

your priority for this family? Was it

accomplished? Forty-three post

evaluations were returned by BCCS

caseworkers. Here are some of their

replies from 2015:

• Priority was to maintain housing

and improve sanitation & money

management. Client has been

able to maintain housing and

employment.

• Build/strengthen knowledge of

resources, discipline & safety in

the home. Goals were met!!!

Worker built good rapport with

family!

• Safety in the home. Yes – was

achieved.

• It appears client showed

improvement in her interactions

with children & discipline. It also

appears she is communicating

with her daughter at this time.

• Priority was to handle sibling

conflict. It seems that the family

is working to achieve this on a

regular basis.

• Priority for the family was to

maintain a clean, safe, stable

and nurturing environment for

their child. While DLS was

involved, the family was able to

maintain their house and provide

a safe and stable environment for

their child.

• The priority was Parenting Skills.

Yes, goals were accomplished.

Our Partners:

• Butler County Children Services

• Butler County Juvenile Court

• Children’s Diagnostic Center

• PARACHUTE, Butler County (C.A.S.A.)

• Community Behavioral Health

• Sojourner Recovery Services

• Butler Behavioral Health


Program Successes Strong Partnerships DLS has always worked in collaboration with other county

services. These partnerships are a positive asset for the

DLS families. DLS relies on information from the

caseworkers at Children Services on evaluating impact.

Our DLS Instructors share how DLS strengthens families: Success Story 1: The father obtained a full-time position, and a week later, he

received full custody of his two youngest girls. He created a few mini goals

every lesson and completed 90% of them before the following lesson.

Examples of goals were: file important papers/discard unnecessary ones; have

his teens clean up dirty clothes from the living room; if they do the dishes every

day for two weeks, the family goes to the movies.

Success Story 2: This mother had a difficult time connecting with males,

which in turn affected her relationship with her son. DLS discussed positive

bonding and attachment techniques, characteristics of healthy relationships,

healthy boundaries and communication, and practiced techniques for creating

household rules/consequences. DLS also shared a community resource: a

support group and counseling for victims of sexual trauma through the Eve

Center. Over time, the client and her son's relationship improved, using the

techniques from DLS and services from the center, and the son returned to the

home. This client now volunteers through the Eve Center and shares how her

life was changed.


DLS Has “Greatest Positive Impact”

“I have worked with Butler County Children Services since 2008 and as a Family Resource Specialist. I

have had the privilege of working with and around the Development of Living Skills program. I have

worked with Kathy Green, Nancy Schaaf, Jane Behari, Elizabeth Jarvis and Nina Solomon. The work

these individuals have done with BCCS clients, in my opinion, has had some of the greatest positive

impact of any of the services the clients receive. I have witnessed first-hand the changes in clients.

Clients go from not understanding what it means to parent, take responsibility, take care of a child,

budget or run a household to being a self-sufficient, responsible parent. I would like to say ‘Thank

You’ to all those involved in the providing of such a great service. The service that DLS provides is a

blessing to the BCCS clients.” – Deputy Ryan Williams 1594

Success Stories

Success Story 3: As a single father of three children under the age of five with a full time job, there were no

doubts as to the amount of stress this family was under. This dad was ready for new and improved information.

He accepted child development knowledge and adopted new skills without missing a beat after he discovered the

reasons behind the children’s behaviors. The children became noticeably comfortable and cooperative. He also

successfully implemented co-parenting practices that renewed additional cooperation and trust for the children to

model. This produced a predictable and more enjoyable environment for the children.

Success Story 4: A first time father was extremely resistant to DLS services, specifically in the area of parenting

and child development. He reported he knew how to be a “good dad and understood how to take care of his

infant. I don’t need parenting”. DLS provided short, practical lessons for calming an infant, nutrition, infant cues,

and information on bonding/attachment. After several weeks, the Client stated, “I guess I didn’t know as much as

I thought I did. Your information has been so helpful. I feel more relaxed and confident as a parent. I can see the

value in learning new information, even when you think you have it all under control.” Observations of his time

with his infant has shown tremendous progress and increased bonding/attachment between him and his infant.

Clients Share:

“The program helped me

learn extra things about

parenting and life. I

have enjoyed DLS tons

and could see myself

wanting to catch up when

my child grows older.”

“Very informative.” The

topics included “many

new things that I didn’t

know. I can’t think of

anything that would

improve the program.”

While we can’t

make parents

change, we can:

• Listen to our clients.

• Teach and assess

parenting and adult

life skills.

• Follow the family’s

values.

• Guide the family

toward their goals.

• Observe interactions

with their child and

provide them with

information.

• Refer them to the

resources they need.

Educational intervention

is a critical part of the

“treatment” for families

at risk for child abuse

and neglect. If a family

is able to maintain

progress toward their

personal goals even

after DLS has closed,

they are more likely to

continue implementing

the techniques they

learned and internalized

while receiving DLS

services.


Areas for Concern

Unfortunately, not every family was successful in achieving

their goals. A handful of DLS clients return to the program

more than once. Some families choose not to implement

the information, others were only able to maintain

information with constant interaction from their DLS

Instructor or BCCS Caseworker, and others had mental

health or substance abuse issues that kept them from

reaching their potential.

Change is not only difficult for humans, but even more

challenging for families dealing with poverty, domestic

violence, substance abuse, and mental health issues. As

one caseworker writes, “To this worker’s knowledge,

although the parents were compliant with services, it does

not appear the changes have been sustained in their day-

to-day lives.” Even if parents are open to new information,

they cannot always make the changes necessary to be

able to safely parent their child. Often the DLS instructors

can see the potential for their clients, but until the client

can visualize themselves as successful, they appear to

flounder.

Summary

We believe that parents can change if given the

information in a way they can understand and apply to

their individual lives and that these changes have a lasting

influence on their children. However, determining the true

effect of the DLS program continues to be a complicated

and tedious procedure. DLS has shown it can change

parent behavior over a relatively short period of time, but

more data is needed to understand each family’s

functioning in the long-term. After 30 years, we know that

the Development of Living Skills program, in combination

with other community supports, has enabled many families

to improve their well-being and fulfilled its mission to help

parents in their responsibilities to protect their children and

prepare them for the life skills necessary for adulthood.

CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis.

For more information: go.osu.edu/cfaesdiversity.

Hours of Operation

Monday-Friday

8:00a.m. - 4:30p.m.

We connect with people in all stages of life, from

young children to older adults. We work with

families and children, farmers and business

owners, community leaders and elected officials

to build better lives, better businesses and better

communities to make Ohio great.

Featured County Programs

• 4-H Youth Development

• Agriculture and Natural Resources

• Family and Consumer Sciences

• Master Gardener Volunteers

• SNAP-Ed

Ohio State University Extension, Butler County

PROGRAM FACULTY AND STAFF

Kristen Corry Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Science

DLS Program Coordinator

B.S., Human Development and Family Science, Ohio State

University, 2010

M.A., Teaching, Muskingum University, 2012

Jane Behari DLS Instructor

A.A., Mental Health, Broome Community College, 1992

F.D.C., Family Development Credential, Cornell

University, 2003

Nancy Schaaf Senior DLS Instructor

B.S., Education, Miami University, 1977

Nina Solomon DLS Instructor

B.S., Education, Miami University, 2001

Beth Young DLS Office Production Assistant

B.S., Agricultural Economics, Ohio State University, 1990

http://go.osu.edu/cfaesdiversity

















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